Silk Road Revitalized for a Splendid Future

Shen Zhifei, Chinese Ambassador to Lithuania

On the Occasion of the Opening of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation

As early as in Ancient Roman time, the Chinese have explored
and opened up routes of trade that linked western China, central and western
Asia and the Mediterranean countries, the Silk Road. More than two thousand
years ago, European merchants also opened routes of trade and commerce from the
Baltic region through central Europe to Mediterranean countries, the Amber
Road. The two roads were ever interlinked and converged in Europe. Leveraging
its location on the Amber Road, Baltic region became the converging point of
commerce and cultural exchange between Asia and Europe, promoting trade
connectivity and interaction of civilizations of the Eurasia continent. The
ancient Silk Road furthermore stood as an important bridge for economic and
cultural exchanges between the East and the West.

As amber is endowed with natural beauty over millennia, the
spirit of the Silk Road has been carried forward from generation to generation.
Following the trend of the times for peace, development and win-win
cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been translated from an
envisioned concept into real action and progress on the ground. Promoting
development of participating countries and benefiting the people, the BRI has
also infused new vigor into the ancient Amber Road.

The Second Belt and Road Forum for International
Cooperation(BRF) opened in Beijing today. The BRF is the platform with the
highest standard for international cooperation under the framework of the BRI,
as well as an international event with landmark significance. Nearly 5,000
foreign guests from more than 150 countries and 90 international organizations
participate in the forum. Foreign representatives attending the forum are from
all sectors of society including governments, non-governmental organizations,
business circles and academic institutions from various regions of the five
continents.

Since the BRI was put forth by President Xi Jinping in
September 2013, China and participating countries have been working hard to enhance
connectivity in policy, infrastructure, trade, finance and people-to-people
ties, guided by the principle of consultation and cooperation for shared
benefits. The BRI has grown into an international cooperative platform with
extensive participation and an international popular public product today,
contributing to lasting peace and prosperity of the world.

First, the principle of “extensive consultation” featuring treating
each other as equals and following market rules. While the BRI is launched by China, its benefits can be shared
by the world. The BRI is a new path of state-to-state relations based on
dialogue rather than confrontation, partnership rather than alliance，representing an approach to international cooperation
featuring mutual respect, justice and equity. In BRI cooperation, we do not
believe in “putting one’s own country first”. Decisions made under the BRI
framework, whether project selection or investment and financing cooperation,
are all based on full consultation among the parties and on the basis of
conducting due risk assessment and investment feasibility study. No country is
dominating the process; all parties have an equal say. There is no back-room
deal; everything is transparent. There is no “winner takes all”; every project
delivers win-win results.

As a global public good and a platform for international
cooperation, the BRI abides by international rules and follows market
principles. It is aimed not only at strengthening the physical
connectivity of infrastructure, but also improving the institutional
connectivity of policies, rules and standards. With best practices of
sustainable development in the world as the benchmark, the BRI is building a
road with high efficiency and ethical standards backed by green and
environment-friendly development.

Second, the principle of “joint contribution”featuring openness,
inclusiveness，and leveraging
mutual complementarity. The BRI is a
significant move China has taken to fully open itself under the new conditions,
and it embodies China’s commitment to sharing development opportunities and
outcomes with more countries in the world. 126 countries and 29 international
organizations have signed BRI cooperation agreements with the Chinese side,
casting a vote of confidence and approval for the BRI by action. “Circle
of friends” of the BRI has been growing ever bigger. Bilateral, trilateral and
multilateral cooperation has been reinforcing each other under the BRI, laying
a solid foundation for a closer and more wide-ranging partnership.

Third, the principle of “shared benefits”featuring mutual
benefit, win-win cooperation and balanced development. Over six years of joint efforts, the BRI has yielded fruitful results.
Satisfactory outcomes have been delivered in boosting economic growth and
improving people’s lives in participating countries.

A number of major connectivity projects have been launched and
implemented. The basic framework of “six
economic corridors, six connectivity networks, and multiple countries and ports
in different parts of the world”has been formed. Some countries have built
their first motorways, inter-island bridges or modern railways; some
land-locked country has gained access to the ocean; some have established
independent and diversified industrial systems; some has developed its own
car industry; and some have seen an end to their longstanding power shortages.

Taking European countries for instance, thanks to China-Europe Railway
Express freight services, the number of Chinese companies operating in Duisburg
of Germany has grown from 40 in 2014 to more than 100. Statistics from the Duisburg
City Council show that, in the city’s logistics sector alone, such freight
services have created more than 6,000 jobs. Since it was leased to a Chinese
company, the Piraeus port in Greece has become one
of the fastest growing container ports in the world, soaring to the 36th place
in global container traffic ranking from the 93rd in 2010. The port has
about 10 Chinese staff but employs 3,000 Greeks, and it has also created more
than 10,000 indirect local jobs. In Serbia, a Chinese enterprise bought a troubled
steel mill and turned it around in less than a year, both saving more than
5,000 local jobs and helping to re-energize the city in which the steel mill is
located.
Piraeus Port making record profits

Numerous examples of success can be found worldwide. Over the past six years, the trade volume
between China and countries joining the BRI has surpassed 6 trillion US
dollars, with more than 80 billion US dollars of Chinese investment in those
countries. The 82 cooperation parks jointly built by China and other
participating countries have created more than US$2 billion in tax revenue and
about 300,000 jobs for host countries. The latest studies by the World Bank and
other international institutions suggest that the BRI cooperation will cut the
costs of global trade by 1.1 to 2.2 percent and those of trade along the
China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor by 10.2 percent. Under the
framework of BRI cooperation, developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin
America are stepping up infrastructure building. Dividends from global economic
growth therefore have been delivered to those “forgotten corners”.

The BRI is an open platform for cooperation. The BRI is not a tool to advance any geopolitical
agenda, but a platform for practical cooperation welcoming equal participation
and joint efforts from all sides. The BRI is not intended to invent the wheels,
but to complement the current international cooperation mechanisms in purpose
of pooling together energy by drawing on each other’s strength. The active participation of central and
eastern European countries and others European countries like Italy and
Switzerland in the BRI are wise and sensible choices as it serves the
development interests of all parties.

BRI cooperation is not a talk shop, but an action-oriented
initiative that delivers real outcomes. Located at the juncture of EU, Baltic
Region and CIS as well as the crossroad of Eurasian economic corridor and
Baltic transportation artery, Lithuania enjoys geographical advantage in
the field of transportation and logistics. With the ambition of building
Eurasian Logistics Center, Lithuania is a natural partner of the BRI
cooperation. Fintech, laser and new energy are also sectors in which Lithuania
has a unique competitive edge. While agricultural products, diary products, sea
food, beer and frozen meat from Lithuania are gaining popularity among Chinese
consumers, export of Lithuanian beef and wheat to China have been further
facilitated. Lithuanian companies are highly enthusiastic about and looking
forward to expanding trade and cooperation with China. The gate of the BRI will always be open for
authentic partners. I sincerely hope, that China-Europe, China-Lithuania join
hands in promoting the synergy of our development strategies and policies,
speeding up the implementation of EU Strategy on Connecting Europe and
Asia, expanding two-way investment and cooperation, to write the modern
legendary of Silk Road and Amber Road for a more splendid future.

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